One of the worst scourges for the city of Venice was without any doubt the Plague, which struck the city on several occasions.

Because of this the "Plague Doctor" isn’t a real mask but was a disguise used by local plague doctors who went on visits wearing this strange costume to people afflicted with plague.

The costume itself is quite particular: the doctor wore a tunic of pure linen or waxen cloth and gave him the appearance of a large bird (more than anything else, he was considered to be like a mournful vulture…).

He wore spectacles on the mask and furthermore always had his trusty staff with which he removed the clothes of plague-victims, thinking that in this way the terrible epidemic would not bring him any harm.